Beijing’s man in Hong Kong enlists China-backed businesses in coronavirus battle

A month after taking over new role, Luo Huining urges mainland companies to help ensure city’s financial stability and supplies of essentials

But no mention of anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong last year

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Luo Huining, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, visits a China Merchants Group warehouse. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:26pm, 17 Feb 2020Updated: 6:05pm, 19 Feb 2020

Beijing’s top envoy in Hong Kong has called on China-funded businesses to help ensure market stability in the city, especially for daily necessities, and offer financial relief to local businesses reeling from the coronavirus outbreak.

Luo Huining, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, issued the call on Monday as he visited a number of major Chinese enterprises in the city including Bank of China, China Merchants Group, China Resources and Sinopec, according to a statement on the liaison office’s website.

“Director Luo Huining … extended his warm wishes and paid tribute to all the frontline staff of these companies and conducted on-the-ground studies of their efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak, [maintain] market supply, [provide] financial relief and [undertake] risk prevention,” the statement said.

“He asked China-funded enterprises in Hong Kong to conscientiously implement the spirit of the important decisions of President Xi Jinping and arrangements of the central government, and give the highest priority to the prevention and control of the disease,” it said, adding that the businesses should give their full backing to the Hong Kong government.

However, the statement said Luo, who replaced Wang Zhimin as head of the liaison office in January, focused on the businesses’ handling of the coronavirus outbreak and apparently made no mention of the anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong last year.